The present invention relates to an arrangement determination method and apparatus for semiconductor device formation regions for determining the arrangement of a plurality of unit-device-formation-regions that are the rectangular regions to form semiconductor devices in a device-formation-effective-region on a semiconductor wafer, an arrangement determination program capable of performing such an arrangement determination method, as well as a manufacturing method for semiconductor devices for manufacturing semiconductor devices with use of the arrangement determination method.
As such an arrangement determination method for regions in which semiconductor chips (devices) in an almost rectangular shape are formed on a semiconductor wafer, various methods have conventionally been known (see, i.e., Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications No. H11-176944 A, No. 2001-15455 A, No. 2001-230181 A, and No. 2003-257843 A). In these arrangement determination methods for semiconductor chip formation regions, the semiconductor chip formation regions that are almost-rectangular shaped regions are obtained to the fullest extent from an almost-round-shaped semiconductor wafer having a limited size so as to increase efficiency in semiconductor chip production and to reduce chip production costs.